This is a well tried recipe that we all love - adapted by me to be "extra minty".

Mint sauce holds a special place for me. Its about the easiest thing that you can teach your kids to grow, prepare and preserve. Food self sufficiency "lesson 1" if you like.

Mint can grow anywhere...barrels, buckets, tyres, windowboxes - any container can be re-cycled into a mint garden.

Its free - just pull a sprig up from an existing climp and re-plant. I have all sorts of types - a polite "can I take a little sprig to grow some please?" has never failed yet! So a nice "frugal" item and the kids get to propogate a plant :

It can be preserved in old sauce and pickle jars (another re-cylcing chance).

When served on lamb, new potatoes and peas, I bet the kids want to do more...peas and speds are easily container grown, yield quickly and are a great treat.

If you want to get fancy, you can even make your own vinegar with a few helpful windfall apples :)

Anyway, off the self sufficiency bandwagon - and back to the mint sauce

My mint is ...abundant at this time of year. As are lambs in the fields...and..well, some things are just meant to be :D

For this recipe I will be using three different mints, but you can use any combination of your favourite mints - or just plain garden mint. Its all good.

I am using spearmint, variegated peppermint and garden mint

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5225/5687297679_17007d59d0_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/british_red/5687297679/)
Spearmint (http://www.flickr.com/photos/british_red/5687297679/) by British Red (http://www.flickr.com/people/british_red/), on Flickr

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5248/5687298001_00cdddd5ef_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/british_red/5687298001/)
Peppermint (http://www.flickr.com/photos/british_red/5687298001/) by British Red (http://www.flickr.com/people/british_red/), on Flickr

Get a big collander and fill it with the new, soft mint growth. You are going to use a surprisingly large amount of mint here. Each collander / large bowl of mint makes one 8oz jar of sauce

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5070/5687298153_46812f0ffd_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/british_red/5687298153/)
Pick (http://www.flickr.com/photos/british_red/5687298153/) by British Red (http://www.flickr.com/people/british_red/), on Flickr

Wash the leaves under the tap

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5270/5687298263_2f65b284f4_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/british_red/5687298263/)
Wash (http://www.flickr.com/photos/british_red/5687298263/) by British Red (http://www.flickr.com/people/british_red/), on Flickr

Strip and pinch the leaves off the tough stalks and discard the stalks

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Strip (http://www.flickr.com/photos/british_red/5687298389/) by British Red (http://www.flickr.com/people/british_red/), on Flickr

Now, put 2 cups of cider vinegar in a steel pan (this is enough for two 8oz jars)

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5066/5687298527_e8a036be40_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/british_red/5687298527/)
Vinegar (http://www.flickr.com/photos/british_red/5687298527/) by British Red (http://www.flickr.com/people/british_red/), on Flickr

Add half a cup of demerara sugar

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Sugar (http://www.flickr.com/photos/british_red/5687298675/) by British Red (http://www.flickr.com/people/british_red/), on Flickr

Heat the vinegar until the sugar has dissolved

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5142/5687867262_2b42ecf509_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/british_red/5687867262/)
Bring to simmer (http://www.flickr.com/photos/british_red/5687867262/) by British Red (http://www.flickr.com/people/british_red/), on Flickr

Add to your warm vinegar to infuse (removing the vinegar from the heat)

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5265/5687867508_b4ab332f0e_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/british_red/5687867508/)
Infuse (http://www.flickr.com/photos/british_red/5687867508/) by British Red (http://www.flickr.com/people/british_red/), on Flickr

When cool, strain the vinegar into a jug - you will notice the mint has gone brown as all the "mintiness" is now in the vinegar.

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Strain (http://www.flickr.com/photos/british_red/5687867662/) by British Red (http://www.flickr.com/people/british_red/), on Flickr

VERY finely chop the rest of your mint and pack into 8oz jars

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Pack (http://www.flickr.com/photos/british_red/5687867780/) by British Red (http://www.flickr.com/people/british_red/), on Flickr

Top up with the infused vinegar

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5247/5687299611_6ba1eef566_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/british_red/5687299611/)
Cover (http://www.flickr.com/photos/british_red/5687299611/) by British Red (http://www.flickr.com/people/british_red/), on Flickr

Seal and leave for 48hrs before consuming.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5029/5687868026_9f8f78e79e_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/british_red/5687868026/)
Seal (http://www.flickr.com/photos/british_red/5687868026/) by British Red (http://www.flickr.com/people/british_red/), on Flickr

If you find this sauce a little woody, it means you have a tougher variety of mint. The way around this is to simmer the chopped mint in the infused vinegar for a few minutes before packing.

The sauce will stay good for two years at least.

A spoonful over new potatoes, peas and especially lamb is a flavour explosion

Red

Harvestman

04-05-2011, 20:13

My wife adores mint sauce, and she has a mint 'bush' in a tub that she never does anything with. I feel a surprise gift for her coming on. There's nothing like earning a few free brownie points. You never know when you might need them.